abcha0s' 300G Ultimate Reef

[abcha0s]

Today, I ordered 300 pounds of BRS "Reef Saver" Dry Aquarium Eco Rock.

The concept of dry rock was entirely foreign to me until only recently. Everyone uses “live rock” right? Well… Consider the advantages.

Live Rock
• Matures quickly and provides some bio-diversity.

Dry Rock
• Guaranteed not to have any pests (critters or algae).
• No water weight, so pound for pound you get more.
• Significantly cheaper.
• Much easier to aquascape as it can be done dry.

The dry rock can obviously be seeded with good quality live rock. I will not be using the live rock in my 90g as there is some pest algae that I don’t want in the new tank. I’ll either use this live rock in a qt setup or perhaps try to sell it.

I am actually really excited about this purchase. It is a big step forward in terms of planning and keeping this project on track.

Prior to making this decision, I ordered 20 pounds of the rock from BRS. I asked for an eight pound piece and a twelve pound piece. Here’s what it looks like.

[Greenmaster]

Nice looking rock... I can't wait to see what you do with it

[abcha0s]

<New Content Posted>

Aquascaping - Part I of III...................Post 21
- Supporting the structure

Status Update

We've been renovating the basement, so work on the tank has been slow. However, things are starting to get back on track and I'm hoping to have salt water in the tank within the next 4-6 weeks. There's a ton of work to do between now and then.

[lobsterboy]

nice Brad, cant wait to see what you do with the scape.

[lastlight]

Really neat idea with the peg system. Can't imagine how long that must have taken you...wow! I think I'd give the peg leg thing a try one day but maybe forgo the slots due to laziness.

So what do you have planned for rock->rock stacking? Are you also drilling and pegging those?

[TheMikey]

I find the peg idea to be really intriguing. My only concern might be that once you put the substrate in (your plan if I read your build right) the sand will fill in the peg holes. Subsequently, I would think that this fill-in would make it really difficult to move the aquascaped pegs after-the-fact (as the sand would presumably fill in the holes). Have you given any thought to this?

Other than that little problem, I think this is a wicked idea for aquariums. It keeps the rock stable and protects the bottom from scratches. So long as algae and things cant slip underneath I could see people implementing this into their builds.

[abcha0s]

Thanks for the comments and feed back!! - It's was nice to hear from you.

Originally Posted by lobsterboy

nice Brad, cant wait to see what you do with the scape.

Thanks John. Seeing what you've done with your tank has been inspiring.

Originally Posted by lastlight

Really neat idea with the peg system. Can't imagine how long that must have taken you...wow! I think I'd give the peg leg thing a try one day but maybe forgo the slots due to laziness.

So what do you have planned for rock->rock stacking? Are you also drilling and pegging those?

I do plan to drill the rock where necessary, and to use acrylic rod within the rock structure to create overhangs and other such structures. I really can't say exactly what it will look like, which is percisely why I wanted a system that was flexible. I figure once I start stacking the rock it will become clear.

Originally Posted by TheMikey

I find the peg idea to be really intriguing. My only concern might be that once you put the substrate in (your plan if I read your build right) the sand will fill in the peg holes. Subsequently, I would think that this fill-in would make it really difficult to move the aquascaped pegs after-the-fact (as the sand would presumably fill in the holes). Have you given any thought to this?

Other than that little problem, I think this is a wicked idea for aquariums. It keeps the rock stable and protects the bottom from scratches. So long as algae and things cant slip underneath I could see people implementing this into their builds.

You are right about the substrate. Once the sand goes in, the whole peg system becomes fixed. I figure I will have to vacuum out the holes as I am working with the rock to get rid of any lose particles that break off. In any event, I will take the time necessary to get it right the first time.

- Brad